Occasionally it is good to play games that you wouldn’t necessarily choose to play.
Take the subject of today’s review, Predecessor from Omeda Studios. A MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, it must be said that this is a genre that has never really appealed to me. Can this one change my mind, or will my aversion to MOBA experiences continue?
Having apparently been built on the bones of Paragon, “developed with love by the community”, I guess I better start figuring out what I am supposed to be doing…
There’s little story in Predecessor, keeping in line with the vast majority of other games in this genre. Instead, we are given a choice of heroes, before being left at one end of a map and tasked with getting to the other end, destroying an opponent’s core to win. That’s pretty much all there is to it.
Thankfully I can tell you more about the presentation.
We’ll start with the design of the many heroes that can be unlocked (or purchased, but more on that later). The way the heroes look is very well designed, from all of the archetypes – small and fast, big and bulky – the character representation is very well done, with real personality. The action takes place in the third person, over the shoulder point of view, as we explore a single stage.
Yes, you read that right – there is only one map in Predecessor, and it is always the same. Of course, the advantage of this is that you are able to learn the course that you have to run, and with the level divided into multiple lanes, there are different roles to learn. Other than this, the game looks pretty good, with a large area to explore and various points of interest to find. Sound is likewise decent, with whichever hero you choose having a range of quips to listen to when using their special skills, and the usual kind of fighting/shooting/explosions to be heard. All in all, the presentation of Predecessor is pretty good.
But, what about the way the game plays? Well, strap yourselves in as I explain all about what I have learned in my MOBA crash course!
Now, the first thing you have to know is that the world of Predecessor is a very rules-based one, with three lanes to choose – and you better stay in your lane! There are different character classes to pick from that seem to correspond to the lanes that you choose and these come in the form of things like Carry, Support or even Jungler (I have no idea what that is). Having picked your lane and your character, it is then time to fight.
The object of Predecessor is to destroy your enemy’s core (a glowing thing at the far end of the map from where you start), preventing them from destroying your own. Now, this all sounds easy enough, right? Well, between you and your objective is a large expanse of real estate, with rings of enemy turrets that protect various pinch points. Obviously, destroying these turrets will make things easier for the team, but they have a lot of health. It’s lucky then that every so often, a group of AI soldiers spawn at your base and start running forward; timing your assault with them arriving means that the turret aggro is split. Destroy the turret, move on to the next, rinse and repeat until the enemy core is vulnerable.
Of course, you don’t have things all your own way. The enemy also spawns soldiers that run to your turrets, and the enemy team is not going to sit on its hands while you are blowing things up. They not only defend their lines, but attack yours, and so the scene is set for an epic battle.
Each hero starts at a level one in each match, and killing enemies will see you level up during the game – and this is vital, as each comes with a basic attack, such as a gunshot or a sword swipe. But it is the special attacks that do the damage. And as you level up, these abilities get stronger, so by the end of the match you should be a killing machine.
Obviously, the type of special attack you have depends on which class of character you’ve picked, ranging from things like a grenade that slows the enemy down, through to a massive shield that helps to keep you and your minions alive. Using these abilities at the right time is the trick, however they have quite a long cooldown, so making sure you have something up your sleeve when a gang of enemies come round the corner is always a good plan.
If you’ve played any MOBA previously, then you should know what to expect from Predecessor. But come in green to the genre like me and it’s trickier. As a MOBA beginner, I have rarely had a scooby as to what is going on, and even trying to find other people to play with is fraught with difficulties; the LFG posts being full of obscure terminology.
Taken purely as a game, Predecessor is worth every penny of the free asking price, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get a bit samey and a bit familiar, all a bit too quickly. Same map, same heroes, same gameplay – at times I have been left willing the rounds to end. And, as it is a free to play game, the sheer amount of invitations to spend real money on unlocking new heroes and skins for said heroes is frankly intrusive. You can ignore them, but they are still there – and are pretty annoying.
If you like MOBAs, then there will be fun here. But otherwise, this is a struggle.
Predecessor Rises From the Ashes: A Free-to-Play MOBA for a New Generation – https://www.thexboxhub.com/predecessor-rises-from-the-ashes-a-free-to-play-moba-for-a-new-generation/
Download Predecessor for free – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/predecessor/9NKVBTRRWH6V
